Anonymous
Post 10/09/2025 12:38     Subject: Re:Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Tell them you’re going to pick up their present and take them to the breeder. Easier logistics and just as much of a surprise.
Anonymous
Post 10/09/2025 09:05     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My puppy is now 1. Just thinking of the logistics of trying to pull this off is stressing me out! You really should do your best to make the first introduction between kids and the puppy as peaceful as possible. Christmas is just not that day--too much excitement and crazy and emotions wrapped up together. Our puppy cried the entire first two nights she was home despite me sleeping next to her crate. I cleaned so much poop and pee those first few days. Not sure how I could have kept her hidden.

Instead, the kids were prepped to be calm when they met her after school the day we picked her up. They made her cards and it was such a sweet moment (followed by all the chaos the first couple weeks of puppy-at-home brings!). She's absolutely awesome now and all was worth it.

Hope that it's a beautiful time for your family but definitely be realistic about the blood, sweat pee, poo and tears of those early days!


Don't forget stepping on little lost puppy teeth! Those things are worse than legos!


Yes!!! Almost forgot about that. And the velociraptor/shark phase when those sharp little puppy teeth get everyone's hands/feet/any exposed body part that you let sit still for too long! I had little tiny tooth holes in all my pants. It was nuts!


Frozen washcloths saved our hands/limbs/clothes during that phase.

This thread is making me want another puppy...
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 22:04     Subject: Re:Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
There was an old Staples commercial that this reminded me of:

https://professorbarnhardt.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/christmas-2014-the-staples-wrapped-dog/
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 20:52     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP was it you who dreamed of the puppy under the tree? Have kids expressed that recently? Surely they know Santa is an abstraction, right? That you are getting them the puppy?

I agree get puppy before the holiday or after during the break before NYE. Especially if you are entertaining it will be more stressful for the puppy afterwards.


Op here. All the kids know a puppy is coming. They all believe in Santa. We’ve been asking them what they want for Christmas and all of them say they want a puppy.

Yes they’d know the puppy was from us and not Santa. I’d assume they’d think Santa made it happen though.

We can only pick up the puppy on the December 22 or 23 due to the breeders schedule.

Maybe my post was too flippant but this was a major decision for us and we’ve been patiently waiting for over a year. This isn’t a toy for us.


Then what's the deal with "where do we put it for a whole day?" - Come on. you are not being fair to the puppy. If you really want a dog, at least acknowledge that you need to do better and re-frame.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 20:50     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
OP you aren't thinking about this like a responsible pet owner.

You do not have to make it a puppy in a box thing. Your kids will freak out and that is a terrible way to introduce them to a new animal who is afraid and fragile. Also asking grandparents to take care of it it not fair to the puppy or the grandparents.

If you want to get a pet you put that new pet's needs at the forefront. Everything you type suggests that this is for your kids and you don't care about the dog's well being.

A responsible breeder wouldn't give you the puppy with this mentality.

Reconsider, or educate yourself on how to have a dog.

My actual advice is if your family wants a puppy, learn how to properly care for it and introduce it to the family and if you are willing and able to do that, being it home on the 222nd or 23rd as a Christmas puppy and let go of the box idea.

Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 20:36     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
The only way this could possibly work is if you bring the puppy to your house BUT you take your kids to the local grandparents.

Then you start establishing a routine in your house. The puppy gets used to you and learns where the crate is, etc in a calm environment.

Then the kids could come home on Christmas Eve and find the puppy under the tree as an early Christmas present.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 20:03     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My puppy is now 1. Just thinking of the logistics of trying to pull this off is stressing me out! You really should do your best to make the first introduction between kids and the puppy as peaceful as possible. Christmas is just not that day--too much excitement and crazy and emotions wrapped up together. Our puppy cried the entire first two nights she was home despite me sleeping next to her crate. I cleaned so much poop and pee those first few days. Not sure how I could have kept her hidden.

Instead, the kids were prepped to be calm when they met her after school the day we picked her up. They made her cards and it was such a sweet moment (followed by all the chaos the first couple weeks of puppy-at-home brings!). She's absolutely awesome now and all was worth it.

Hope that it's a beautiful time for your family but definitely be realistic about the blood, sweat pee, poo and tears of those early days!


Don't forget stepping on little lost puppy teeth! Those things are worse than legos!


Yes!!! Almost forgot about that. And the velociraptor/shark phase when those sharp little puppy teeth get everyone's hands/feet/any exposed body part that you let sit still for too long! I had little tiny tooth holes in all my pants. It was nuts!
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:37     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
I think the message that the puppy is a present or that the puppy belongs to small children is a really dangerous one. When you need to reinforce critical safety rules like kids never being alone in a room with puppy, or not picking up puppy, or not approaching puppy when it’s eating, having them think it’s their puppy will make it harder.

Get the puppy, but don’t connect it to Christmas in any way. If you absolutely have to get it on the 22nd or 23rd then get it, but don’t connect it.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:31     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Please do not put an animal in a wrapped box.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:26     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Stuffed dog toy under the tree. Get puppy when things are calmer
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:25     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Ok. One last try.
Santa sends them a note. Do NOT handwrite it yourself. Have someone else outside do it.
Santa knows they are great kids and needs their help because they are getting a puppy! But the puppy can't come on the sleigh and wait alone Christmas Eve because it would scare him. So mom/ dad will pick up the puppy at it's family's house and bring it home early so it's not so scared. Santa knows that the good kids they are will help the puppy get used to its new home and there will be something in its stocking/ underbthectree for puppy too!Ho ho ho.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 18:05     Subject: Puppy under the Christmas tree logistics
Anonymous wrote:My puppy is now 1. Just thinking of the logistics of trying to pull this off is stressing me out! You really should do your best to make the first introduction between kids and the puppy as peaceful as possible. Christmas is just not that day--too much excitement and crazy and emotions wrapped up together. Our puppy cried the entire first two nights she was home despite me sleeping next to her crate. I cleaned so much poop and pee those first few days. Not sure how I could have kept her hidden.

Instead, the kids were prepped to be calm when they met her after school the day we picked her up. They made her cards and it was such a sweet moment (followed by all the chaos the first couple weeks of puppy-at-home brings!). She's absolutely awesome now and all was worth it.

Hope that it's a beautiful time for your family but definitely be realistic about the blood, sweat pee, poo and tears of those early days!


Don't forget stepping on little lost puppy teeth! Those things are worse than legos!